From: Pietro Cremona
Subject: Three Player Games (long)
It is always amazing to see how we all ... try the same things soon or
later. I say that as I made exactly the same reserach last year, when I
moved in a new region and I desperately tried to find new players.
I finally contacted a couple of "lone" gamers that used to fight each other,
always misundertanding rules and, when thwy were unable to translate some
rules from English ... doing home made rules.
It was a shock for them to find an expert wargamer, but after some games
they asked for truly 3-sided games, where evryone had top count on his own.
Thus I made a list of 3 players games that I will report here, but with a
warning : this list is based only on the games that I own and not all of
them are "real wargames" (many are just MP games with 3 players scenarios).
Those that I thing are better designed for a satisfactory 3 players gaming
have an (*) and those few that seems to be designed just for 3 players or
can be easily adapted have an (**) : remember also that it is MY opinion only.
ANCIENT PERIOD
- 7 Royames Combattants (a french wargame in the old China)
- (*) Alesia (AH)
- Barbarians (3W)
- (*) Britannia (AH)
- Civilisation (AH)
- (*) Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (ARIEL)
- Empire (MB)
- (*) Imperial Governor (ARIEL)
- King of Kings (GOO)
- (*) Marhaja (AH)
- (*) Peninsula Italica (CAMELOT)
- Republic of Rome (AH)
- (*) Rise and Fall (EMS)
- (*) Successors (S+T 161)
- (**) Thaiti (3W)
MEDIEVAL PERIOD
- (**) Cry Havoc (EUR)
- Empires of Middle Age (SPI)
- (**) Fief (IT)
- (*) Hispania (AWE)
- King Arthur (WOT)
- La Foi et la Glaive (AWE)
- Middle Sea (FAN)
RENAISSANCE
- Conquistador (SPI/AH)
- Europa UNiversalis (AWE)
- (*) Frederick The Great (3W)
- Grand Siecle (AWE)
- (*) Kingmaker (ARIEL/AH)
- Machiavelli (BAT/AH)
- (**) Mosketeers (TFG)
- (*) Samurai (BAT/AH)
- (**) Thirty Years War (S+T 173)
- Viceroys (TAS)
NAPOLEON
- (**) Eagles (COL)
- Enemy in Sight (AH)
- Fighting Sail (S+T 85)
- (**) La Revolution Francaise (AWE)
- (**) Napoleon (COL/AH)
- (**) War and Peace (AH)
AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND CIVIL WAR
- (*) Give me Liberty (3W)
- (**) Dixie (COL) see above for Eagles
WARS OF INDEPENDENCE
- (*) Apache (YAQ)
- Geronimo (AH)
- (**) Gunslinger (AH)
- (*) Rorke's Drift (3W)
- (*) Thundering Guns (STA)
WW I
- (*) Ace High series (3W)
- (*) Blue Max (GDW)
- Diplomacy
- (*) Great War in Europe (COMMAND 33)
- (*) Knights of the air (AH)
- No Pasaran (ALEA)
- (*) Richthofen's war (AH)
- (**) Russian Civil War (SPI)
- (*) War to end Wars (3W)
- (*) WWI (SPI/DG)
WW II
- (*) '43 (IT)
- (*) Air Force (BAT/AH)
- (**) Anzio (Diadem)
- (*) Battle for Germany (SPI/DG)
- Clash of Eagles (CAMELOT)
- (**) Down in Flames series (GMT)
- (*) Euro Front Series (COL)
- (**) Hitler's War (AH)
- (*) Mustangs (AH)
- Origins of WW II (AH)
- (*) Rising Sun (AH)
- (*) Royal Navy (QUA)
- Spies (SPI)
- (*) Third Reich (AH)
- (*) Up Front (AH)
MODERN PERIOD
- (**) Angola (RAGN)
- East and West (IT)
- (*) Flight Leader (AH)
- (**) Guerrilla (AH)
- (*) Kremlin (AH)
SF/FANTASY/IPO
- May '68 (STR)
- (**) Middle Earth (SPI)
- (**) Zargos's Lords (IT/EUR)
- (**) Full Metal Planet (LUD)
I will recommend very few games as really usefull and satisfactory for
competitive play when three gamers meet together : between those few let me
suggest the following ones :
- THAITI (3W) : you are the leader of a tribe and you must fight against
other tribes while you try to cut trees and build ships. A very funny
little game for players from 10 to 99.
- CRY HAVOC (EUROGAMES) : the original game from Standard Games was a nice
one, but the new improved rules transformed this series in a real gem that a
"real" wargamer must have. I was so enthousiastic of it that I recently
transleted the new rules in Italian and I started distributing them to my
opponents. Actually we have already more than 100 scenarios and new maps
are published every two/three years : the system has a lot of "aficionados"
and really deserves that. Good three players scenarios exist (mostly from
french 'zines or magazines) and are perfectly playable.
- NAPOLEON (COL/AH) : I really cannot remember the number of players that I
convinced to entere our "world" using this old classic game. Easy to learn,
difficult to master, we use to say, ansd with independent British and
Prussian players you really taste this game at its peack.
- EAGLES (COL) : this is a card game and probably all of you already know
that it may be used in combunation with Napoleon (see above) to solve the
"tactical" battles in a campagn game (you just trade a card from Eagles for
a CV from Napoleon). We tried to play a thre players game at Roma-Con-96,
just a few days ago. I was the French and I had two different hands : one
for the Quatre Bras battle (against a British/Dutch opponent) and one for
the Ligny battle (against another opponent, this time with the Prussians).
It was a super experience and I will introduce this in my club immediately.
- DOWN IN FLAMES (GMT) : it is another card game, as you all know, and again
it is a new vehicle that I use to introduce new players to "wargaming". Our
Conventions are a good place where to do this kind of recruting, expecially
now that "CARDS" are so used in the Fantasy or SF branches. Just showing my
Eagles or DIF cards in my table, with a green carpet under was ... very
scenic, and soon I had "customers". The result is another 20-30
Eagles/Dixie/DIF decks sold per day, and probably new recruits...
- UP-FRONT (AH) : I will have an Up-Front 3 players meeting next friday and
we will play scenario 28-3/B3 (A little Corner of Hell) from THE GENERAL.
Our previously 3 players scenarios were a sort of
we-ally-against-him-and-when-he-die-we-fight ... but we found that very poor
gaming, untill we tried the GENERAL ones, and these are really nice : two
players are together and MUST collaborate to win, butr they have to serch
first for the radio connection, etc.
- HITLERS's WAR (AH) : it is a neglected little game with a big potential.
This is one of those games that seems designed for 3 players and I think
that it is just another MUST for you. Everything is included with rules not
so difficult to master and a very clean map. Unfortunately not many players
like this game, it seems, as it is very difficult to see it at Clubs or
conventions.
- ANGOLA (RAGNAROK BROTHERS) is a British game based on the guerrilla and
warfare in Angola, including South Africa, Zaire, etc. "help". It is
designed for 4 players, but it is very good also with only three. Dificult
to find, probably.
- GUERRILLA (AH) : well, you are probably aware now that I like card
wargames (I am also a collector of card decks from every country that I
visited : my best is Napoleonic Deck bought ... in Waterloo-Belgium). Thsi
is another introductory game very nice for three players and good for a
short evening.
- MIDDLE EARTH ... oops sorry, no SF/Fantasy on this list, but probably you
all know those games.
Any comment to my ... opinions ?
All will be welcome and I hope to have some extra suggestions..
Ciao
Pietro
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Pietro Cremona - Old Hand Wargamer
Address : CP 136 - 47023 Cesena Centro
FORLI' - Italy
.oooO E-Mail - asterix@linknet.it
(..) Oooo. Phone - ++ 39.547.335121
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